Let's REALLY screw up 2015

With the dawn of a new year comes the deluge of resolutions, reminders etc. Every year people talk about how they are going to lose weight, use their time wisely, be more productive etc, etc, so on and so forth. Well,  I'm going to do something different. I'm going to tell you how to regress in the coming year. That's right. I'm going to share with you a tried and true recipe for disaster in 2015 so you can REALLY screw it up.

Here we go:

1. Worry a lot. Let's all start our worrying earlier in the morning and intensify our energy that we give to anxiety as the day passes. If you need stuff to help you worry, check the news, on tv or the Internet. The bad news, doomsday reports, and calamities should be enough to get you churning all day and through the night. Also, reflect on your failures and mistakes. That always enhances our worrying. To add a touch of variety, think a lot about the things you should not have done. Regret is great fuel for worry. If that's not enough, cogitate on what you don't like about your girlfriend, boyfriend, best friend, spouse,  partner etc. And don't forget to hang out with negative people. They spread worry like germs.

2. Make plans with unrealistic expectations. Hey, Why not! Let's chisel our plans in stone. Forget the fact that life often takes us down unexpected and sometimes unpleasant paths.

3. Compare yourself with others. Do this and you will spend much of the new year ricocheting between the extremes of arrogance and discouragement. Not only that, we will spend another year not knowing who we are. If external beauty is your thing, make sure you spend a lot of time in the check out lines in supermarkets looking at the rags that show guys who have more muscles that the Incredible Hulk or women who are incredibly beautiful.

4. Keep your focus on money. Spend your time constantly trying to get more money. Make sure you ignore the advice of people like wise Solomon who wrote " Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle" (Proverbs 23:4-5) What did he know about consequences, money, and wisdom?

5. Lengthen your list of enemies. Playing the blame game will really screw you up in 2015. With an arsenal full with suspicion, paranoia, and resentment you can waste a lot of time rehearsing your feelings of resentment as you stew over people who have pissed you off and made your life miserable. By the way make sure to tell as many people as you can how they have made you miserable. You can count on that word to spread....exponentially. A sure fire way to make enemies and destroy friendships.

So, there we have it. Five time tested time wasters that can really screw up your new year. But who wants to do this? So let's move in the right direction. Beware of the people and things that waste your time. Instead of worrying, pray! Be flexible, give more, be content with the way God made you. Let forgiveness loosen your grip on the grudges you hold. In other words, let's make 2015 our most productive year ever.

That's my plan! I hope that you will make it yours!